It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jean Deloche, who died on December 3, 2019 in Pondicherry. Born on September 19, 1929 in Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie), he had just celebrated his 90th birthday, surrounded by the staff of the Centre where he spent a large part of his life. After teaching at the Suryavarman II High School in Siem Reap from 1961 to 1962 and then directing the Alliance Française de Madras, in 1966 he joined the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) as a research fellow (chargé de recherche), then as a research fellow (maître de recherche) in Pondicherry, where he lived until his death. From 1992 to 1994, he was in charge of the EFEO's History and Archaeology Center in Pondicherry, where he kept his office until the end of his life. His research is organized around two poles. The first is the publication of 18th century French manuscripts of vital importance to the political, economic and social history of India: the account of the Count of Modave; the epic of Jean-Baptiste Chevalier; the living testimony of the Jesuit Wendel on the ephemeral Jat kingdom; and finally, the long Indian experience of the great naturalist Pierre Sonnerat. The second concerns the history of Indian technology. His meticulous research on transport techniques, cars, boats and bridges has been the subject of a vast synthesis published in French and English and reproduced in part in Volume II of History of Technology in India. His work on fortifications, which mainly dealt with the fortified structures of the southern part of the peninsula, brought a new typology to military architecture. On the creation of Pondicherry, generally attributed to the French, he showed that the city grew according to a rigorous urban plan designed by a Dutch cartographic engineer at the end of the 17th century. He was always ready to discuss with researchers, young students or the public, so it is a huge void that he leaves when he disappears. Photo: Jean Deloche, in a temple in Madhura, Dwaraka, India, February 27, 1979 (EFEO_DELJ00850). |